


Young At Heart

by LucindaAM



Series: Beauty and her Beast [5]
Category: Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: F/M, Fluff, He needed a Spotlight moment too, Hope for the future, Hulk was gone in the last one, I've been reading de-aging fics lately, Light Swearing, No Smut, angst if you squint, take that for what it's worth
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-20
Updated: 2020-09-20
Packaged: 2021-03-08 00:42:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,878
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26556799
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LucindaAM/pseuds/LucindaAM
Summary: Steve, Tony and Bruce all left on a mission over twelve hours ago. It didn't go well. Now the super soldier and the billionaire have a 1,400 pound raging ball of fury locked in the small confines of the quinjet as they race to get him home before he explodes and rips the metal cage to pieces.Luckily, they have Hulk-whisper on staff.Unfortunately for them, you may or may not have had a little accident while they were gone. Looks like this time, Hulk will be the one taking care of you, not the other way around.
Relationships: Bruce Banner/Reader, Hulk/Reader
Series: Beauty and her Beast [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1925902
Comments: 12
Kudos: 66





	Young At Heart

Hulk was hunkered down in the corner of the jet, shooting dirty looks over at Tony and Steve who were both praying that JARVIS could pick up the pace a little bit. While both men had, in their own ways, stared at the face of death and won; this was one battle both of them were looking forward to avoiding.

“We almost there, yet?” Tony asked.

Steve pretended not to notice the higher pitch of Tony’s voice.

“The thrusters are firing as hard as possible, sir. You’ll be home within the hour. It’s the best I can do, I’m afraid.” JARVIS answered.

Tony sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose.

Across from them, Hulk started shifting angrily as he processed JARVIS’ words. He was clearly agitated by the tight space and the promise of more time in it. He didn’t want to be stuck here for another hour.

Unable, or maybe, unwilling to share his thoughts about it, he lunged forward. Tony scrambled back, his face plate sliding over his features as he raised a gauntlet in self-defense. Steve instinctively threw himself in front of the inventor and put a hand on his hips. The other hand he raised as he shook a firm finger at the beast. “No.” He said firmly. “Bad Hulk.”

A snarl appeared on Hulks features and he shot out a large hand, swiping for the soldier. Steve barely managed to roll out of the way.

Tony glanced at Steve in disbelief. “Really?” He demanded.

Steve rubbed the back of his neck as he pushed back up to his feet. He shrugged in embarrassment. “I’m not good with kids.”

Tony snorted. “Or 1,400-pound rage monsters, apparently.” He murmured.

Tony turned to Hulk and cautiously opened his face plate again as he said your name calmly. Hulk froze and faced Tony suspiciously.

“She’s not going to like it if you hurt us. Remember?” Tony gestured between himself and Steve. “She likes us. We’re her friends. You can’t hurt her friends. She’ll be sad.”

Hulk’s eyes narrowed in contempt and he glanced around the jet angrily as though searching for a way to kill Tony and Steve without you finding out. Eventually, he realized there was nothing he could do, and he folded his arms roughly against his chest and started sulking.

Tony let out a breath of relief and turned his head slightly towards Steve. “Maybe you should call ahead and have her waiting for us.” He whispered out of the corner of his mouth.

Steve took in Hulk’s still tense form and nodded. “Yeah. Good idea.”

Steve walked to the front of the jet and glanced out over the view as he pulled up your contact information on his phone and dialed your number.

There was no answer.

He tried again.

Nothing.

Steve glanced at his phone, brows furrowing in confusion. He double checked that he had bars and that he was calling the right person because you ALWAYS answered your phone when Bruce was on a mission.

He tried again and when it still went right to voicemail, he dialed Nat’s number instead.

“Hello?” Nat’s tone was naturally gruff over the phone, but she seemed even angrier than usual as she answered.

“Uh. Hi. Nat. It’s Steve. Do you know where Y/N is? I tried calling her . . .”

Nat let out a short and very unamused laugh. “Yeah. Well, she can’t answer the phone right now.”

“Okay . . . well . . . we have a ‘code green’ situation and were hoping that she could meet us in the hanger when we land. We should be there withint the hour. Faster if Tony can figure something out.”

Nat was silent for a long minute. Too long a minute. And then she burst out laughing.

“Oh. She’ll be there alright.” Nat said.

“Tha . . .”

The sound of the dial tone cut Steve off and he glanced at his phone, even more confused than he had been earlier.

He sighed as he slipped the thing back into his pocket and turned back to Tony who was eyeing Hulk with narrowed eyes and a stance that said he was ready to leap into action at a moment’s notice.

“You reach her?” Tony asked without taking his eyes off the beast.

Steve sighed again as he took up a guard stance next to the billionaire. “She wouldn’t pick up. I called Nat. She said she’d meet us at the hangar . . .” He trailed off.

“But?” Tony prompted when Steve didn’t finish his thought.

“But Nat sounded weird on the phone. And it’s not like Y/N not to pick up when Banner’s on mission. I don’t know what we’ll be walking into.”

Tony sighed and pinched his nose. “Just what we needed.” He grumbled. He hoped that you hadn’t been stabbed again. He didn’t think the tower could take a rampaging Hulk.

Forty minutes later, the tower finally, FINALLY came into sight and Steve and Tony let out matching sighs of relief at the familiar sight. Towards the end of the flight, Hulk had started fidgeting and they’d known they were on borrowed time. Tony and Steve were both painfully aware of just how close Bruce was to ripping the jet to pieces.

As the jet landed, Tony and Steve both rushed out. They glanced around the hangar for you, anxious to get Bruce back after a long day of babysitting a moody Hulk.

You were . . . nowhere to be found.

Tony was just about to ask JARVIS where you were when Nat sauntered into the room, carrying an oddly shaped backpack across a shoulder. Behind them, Hulk stomped down the ramp, his own eyes narrowing in on Nat’s form.

“Nat? Where’s . . .” Steve cut off as Nat brushed past him without so much as a ‘hello’. She marched up to Hulk, eyeing him intently.

Hulk’s eyes narrowed on the spy as she got closer. Besides you, Nat was the only other Avenger he had any kind of gentle relationship with. Even then, Hulk preferred your company and was growing angrier by the second that you weren’t there.

Tony and Steve both tensed as they felt the wave of anger wash over them. Tony bent his knees, ready to fly Nat out of danger the second Hulk went for her.

Nat ignored Tony and Steve as watched Hulk and turned something over in her mind for a moment. After a minute, she nodded softly, the hard look in her eyes softening just a touch. Then, she reached for backpack on her shoulder and swung it around towards her chest. She reached inside and pulled something soft, pink and squirming out of it before she reached over and took Hulk’s large hand in her own, twisting it up before she laid the object inside of it.

Steve and Tony lunged forward as they abruptly recognized the squirming mass as a baby. An actual, real live, human, baby.

“What the hell!?” Tony managed to grit out.

Steve felt the need to chastise Tony for his language when there were innocent ears present, but he couldn’t as he stared in equal amounts of shock at the tiny little girl in Hulk’s hand.

Nat held up a hand, stopping the two in their tracks as she kept a watchful eye on Hulk and the tiny baby. Hulk was staring intently at the little bundle of joy as he very carefully brought his hand towards his face.

For a long second, Nat, Steve and Tony stood frozen in nervous anticipation and then, tiny giggles sounded from Hulk’s palm and two tiny hands reached up and pawed at his face.

Hulk grinned.

Tony felt faint as he sat, hard, against the floor of the hangar. He could have sworn that two years had been taken off his life by that little display.

“Who . . . who’s baby is that?” Steve managed to ask as he desperately tried wrapping his mind around the insane situation playing out in front of him.

Nat watched Hulk interact with the infant for another few minutes before she nodded to herself, convinced that Hulk wouldn’t hurt it. Then she turned to the soldier. “It’s Y/N.” She said succinctly.

“It’s Y/N’s baby?” Steve asked, not following.

Nat shook her head and smiled grimly. “It IS Y/N.” She said.

Tony’s eyes nearly bugged out of his head. “THAT’S Y/N?” He demanded. “How is that even possible?!”

Nat shrugged a shoulder as she tossed the backpack full of baby things to Steve. “Magic. Guess who Thor brought for a visit?” She rolled her eyes before she turned and headed back out of the hanger. “It’s your turn to watch her, by the way. Make sure Hulk doesn’t smash her.”

Tony collapsed the rest of the way to the floor and ran a metal hand over his face. This was just what he wanted to deal with after a long mission.

Steve glanced at the fallen inventor and then at the backpack hanging loosely in his hands and then back at Hulk who was listening intently as you cooed at him nonsensically.

Steve sighed, his shoulders slumping as he realized Tony was going to be no help whatsoever.

Steve shook his head, trying to clear it before he rolled his shoulders back, put his Captain face on and moved towards Hulk, ready to deal with this ‘new mission’. Steve approached Hulk carefully and reached for you, still lying happily in Hulk’s palm.

Hulk managed to look away from your tiny form long enough to see Steve reaching for you. Faster than even Steve could track, Hulk jumped to his feet and moved away from the soldier, cradling you protectively against his chest. “Mine.” He growled threateningly.

Steve glanced at Hulk’s chest where only the top of your head poked out from between green fingers and he flung his hands up in a gesture of peace. “I’m not gonna hide her, Hulk. Okay? We just need to take her to medical, don’t you think. Make sure she’s okay? We should see if the doc’s know how to fix her. She’ll want to be big again.”

Hulk glared suspiciously at the soldier and Steve started shuffling nervously on his feet. “Do you think you can let her go, now? I don’t think she can breath like that.” He pointed at you carefully.

Hulk glanced down at you and pulled you away from his chest. You glanced at him with a trembling lip and something softened in Hulk’s chest.

He nodded at Steve slowly. “I go.” He said simply as he poked a finger at your stomach. Your trembling lip faded, and a smile took its place as you nuzzled your cheek against the digit.

Steve’s face had paled a few degrees as he’d watched the interaction. Nat’s final words still echoing in his head. ‘Make sure he doesn’t smash her.’

Steve didn’t say anything for a long minute, and then you rolled over on your stomach and peeked a head through the gap in Hulk’s fingers. You smiled as your tiny eyes met Steve’s and Steve let out a breath he didn’t know he’d been holding. “Yeah. Uh. Yeah. Let’s just . . . be careful with her okay? She’s . . . babies are fragile.”

Hulk nodded seriously curled his hand around you just enough that you wouldn’t be able to roll out accidentally before he turned and started walking out of the hanger. Steve raced after him, doing his best to keep you in sight.

Tony stared at the ceiling in the hanger, letting Steve take this one. “JARVIS? Where’s Thor and that no good brother of his?” He asked.

“They’ve been sequestered to Thor’s rooms for the time being, sir. Thor is aware that Loki has done something, but I don’t believe he is aware of the exact situation.”

Tony pushed to his feet and started heading in the direction of the teams quarters. “I think we have some explaining to do then.” He muttered, angrily.

Steve hovered in the background, keeping an ever-growing paranoid eye on you and Hulk as the doctors and nurses puttered around, performing scan after scan on you.

At one point, a well-meaning nurse entered the fray and poked you with a needle in an effort to draw blood for a toxicology screen. You’d started crying so loudly, Hulk had nearly lost control.

Steve had just stepped forward to stop the beast from murdering the frightened nurse when your tiny hands had reached for Hulk. Without thinking, the beast had settled back down, his need for vengeance forgotten as he shifted your tiny body to his shoulder. He kept a firm hand against your back as he hummed something low and off-key as you cried against his skin.

The rumbling hum eventually lulled you to sleep. In fact, you were still sleeping as you sucked your thumb with one hand and rubbed at Hulk’s chest with the other.

It was almost cute in a way.

If Steve hadn’t been so terrified that Hulk was going to unintentionally kill you, that was.

A doctor approached Steve, careful not to make too much noise and disturb your sleep. Ever since you’d drifted off, Hulk would send a scathing glare at anyone who made too much noise. The entire medical ward was walking on eggshells, afraid to set him off.

“She’s fine, physically.” The doctor whispered, handing Steve a report that he had no chance of understanding.

“But?” He prompted.

“But . . . we don’t know what exactly caused it and we don’t know how to fix it.”

Steve resisted the urge to groan as he glanced up at the ceiling. Before he could question the doctor further, the door beside him burst open and Tony came stomping in, Thor right behind him. Thor had a firm grip on Loki’s arm as he pulled him in too.

“Fix her.” Thor growled, gesturing at you sleeping form with his chin.

Loki scowled in annoyance and shook his head. “What makes you think I can?”

“You did it to her, didn’t you? Sure as hell wasn’t any of us. Should mean you can UNDO it too.” Tony argued.

Loki shook his head, a victorious smirk already forming on his lips. “Then why should I?”

Steve took a step forward. “It’s not a request.” He said firmly.

Loki spread his hands wide. “You cannot force me. You have nothing to lord over me. I’ve no reason to do it. You’re nothing to me.”

Hulk stood suddenly and all eyes were drawn to his towering form as he pulled you away from his shoulder, pressed a quick kiss to your head and then handed you to a very pale doctor before he took a threatening step towards the Asgardian trickster.

Loki paled too as he watched the murderous intent grow in Hulks eyes. “On second thought, hand the child to me. I would be more than happy to be of assistance to one as great as she.”

The doctor glanced at Steve who nodded once before she handed you to Loki and fled the room.

Seconds later, a bright light encased you and Loki was holding a very adult you in his arms. You were still fast asleep.

Hulk growled. Loki held you out quickly and Hulk took you back in his arms, smiling at you softly as you burrowed into his chest before he turned an angry eye back on the Trickster.

“Go.” He ordered.

Loki fled without being asked twice.

The rest of the team shuffled nervously about until Hulk turned his glare on them too. Then they all picked up left the room, leaving him and you alone together.

Once the room was empty, Hulk settled back on the ground. He pressed a quick kiss to your head before he closed his eyes and sighed, letting Bruce come back out.

His last thought as the scientist slipped back into control was how happy he’d felt holding you in his hand.

Hours later, you and Bruce watched as Tony gleefully showed you the security footage from the medical ward. The two of you were in awe at the tender affection Hulk had shown baby you in the video.

Tony and Thor told the rest of the story in exaggerated detail explaining how Hulk had punched Loki through several walls before the Trickster had agreed to help you and just how much the two of them had helped care for you in the meantime. All of it, lies.

Your mind tuned them out as you bit your lip and stared at the image of Hulk cradling your tiny body in his hands.

You knew Bruce had been hesitant to have kids in large part due to Hulk’s influence in his life. It had never really been something you’d thought about before now; but as you stared at the footage and then glanced at Bruce, you couldn’t help but wonder if maybe it was time to question those fears.

You glanced back at Tony and Thor as they role-played their fantastic story in front of you.

If ever there was a place for you and Bruce to bring a new life into this world, it would be here. With the Avengers by your side.

Maybe it was time to start thinking about the future after all.

**Author's Note:**

> I've been reading a LOT of de-aging fics lately and I just really liked the idea of Hulk being all "daddy Hulk" towards her. Awwww.
> 
> In all seriousness though, what do you guys think about Banner and Reader having kids eventually? Most Banner fics seem to avoid that cuz of the whole "green rage monster" problem and I kind of like the idea of doing something a little different.
> 
> Idk. Lemme know what you think!


End file.
